thelegendonline Secret Life of Staff, Uncategorized

Secret life of staff: Shaohua She

By: David Shih

 

“I really love all of my students, and I really cannot remember how long that I’ve (been a) teacher to be honest with you,” comments Chinese teacher Shaohua She.

Ms. She has been teaching at Piedmont Hills for number of years and is the sole Foreign Language teacher for Chinese at the school.

“I just like to plant anything that is pretty for me such as water lilies and stuff,” states Ms. She.

Her hobby is gardening, and she focuses on traditional Chinese plants and flowers. Planting and gardening not only helps her relax, and also makes her backyard look beautiful.

“My favorite holiday is obviously Chinese New Year, as it is the time of the year where everyone in the family can gather and enjoy time together,” states Ms. She.

During Chinese New Year, Ms. She enjoys keeping busy with all the preparations, since it makes her feel alive.

Ms. She also teaches three classes at Independence High School.

“This is why you cannot find me during lunch at Piedmont, because I am at Independence (High School) already,” says Ms. She.

Ms. She also loves to travel when she has money saved up. There are still a lot of countries that she wants to visit, including Japan and Korea.

“I’ve traveled to a lot of countries, obviously China, and I’ve been to Malaysia and Singapore which was very fun for me personally there to see their cultures,” states Ms. She.

Ms. She doesn’t really see retirement in the near future.

“I really do enjoy teaching at this school and especially Chinese, I’m just really glad that I can open the students up to rediscover their own cultures and introduce other people to this culture that has lasted 5000 years. I guess I’ll retire when I feel like it,” states Ms. She.

An advice that Ms. She wants to tell her students is that they should not be lazy and try their best in school.

“Honestly, there aren’t any dumb students in my opinion. You guys are all smart and can go to those prestigious colleges if you guys try hard enough,” states Ms. She.

 

thelegendonline News, Uncategorized

Class of 1988 Reunion

By Sarah Shafaeen

The PHHS Class of 1988 are having their 30-ish year reunion this Saturday at the Casino M8trix at 6 p.m.

The three co-organizers worked tirelessly to bring the reunion together and make sure that as many people as possible will attend and have a good time.

“There is a group of three of us who organized the reunion: myself, Dayna (Stein) Pawlowski and Diane (Bettencourt) Smith. We knew each other in H.S., but didn’t hang out. Diane was on the organizing committee for our ten-year reunion and Dayna, the 20th, so I thought they would be game for helping with another one,” says head organizer Anna Heckman.

The 30-ish year reunion is actually the 31st year reunion because the organizers were unable to properly organize the 30th year reunion in time.

“We tried (late) last year to get it off the ground, but it didn’t pan out, so this is our 30-ish year reunion. I was on the committee for the 30th year as well,” says co-organizer Dayna Stein Pawlowski.

The Class of ‘88 hoped to meet up with old classmates and reminisce about their time together at PHHS.

“I’m looking forward to looking back, seeing everyone, dancing to ‘80’s music and having fun catching up!” exclaims Anna.

When reflecting back on the environment at PHHS, Class of ‘88 recalled a very positive experience.

“PHHS was a great time for me. I loved high school! Hung out in the auto shop for a time, was tight with the drama crew. Really, I tried to get to know people in all the little groups,” mentions Dayna.

Many remember the overall inclusiveness of the student body at the time along with the general kindness everyone treated each other with.

“I loved Piedmont and had a great experience. Everyone was very friendly and respectful. I suppose there were cliques, but it didn’t really feel like it because everyone seemed to be friendly with one another, regardless of what particular group you might identify with. I thought it was just a really special place. I was pretty shy when I started there and really came to be much more social through the years. I really felt accepted there,” states Anna.

The class remembered their favorite memories from high school.

“FANTASTICS and Spirit week are really good memories. And Drama Class was pretty special to me,” concludes Anna.

thelegendonline Fun Page, Uncategorized

Class Choices

By Andrew Wong

Freshman year for me was the year I began meeting new friends and learning among st them. For most people, freshman year stands out as an easy year; but it didn’t turn out the same way for me. For me, I was supposed to be placed in Math 1, like every other freshman. But in mistake, the school mistakenly skipped two math levels for me and placed me into Algebra 2. At the time, I felt good about myself being in a higher math level than most of my peers; and because of that, I chose to stay in that level even when offered to move back into Math 1 where I supposedly belonged.

Algebra 2 became one of my biggest struggles for me as a freshman because of my lack of knowledge of the previous 2 levels. Miraculously, I was able to pass the course and move onto Pre-Calculus, and then Calculus in the following years. My ego grew as I advanced onto these classes, making me feel that I was smart and my social stance among peers grew positively because of these classes. I became so egotistical that I even signed up for more honor courses such as English 2A and AP Psychology. I didn’t think to consider about how hard these classes can get and the workload that would stack me for hours, and eventually I did pay that price. Being too much to handle, my GPA suffered and I spent countless hours studying for them.

Of course, my ego wasn’t the only reason for me signing up for honors/AP courses. Many classmates and friends whom I associated with commonly signed up for these classes. As a freshman, I was highly encouraged to sign up as I learn and work alongside my other fellow peers. Although I did get what I wanted, the aftereffects was too much for me to handle as either the workload was very heavy, or it was something I struggled to get good scores on.

Four years after these events occurred, senior year has finally come to show itself. Entering into this domain, I’ve learned from these mistakes and chose a lot of less challenging classes for myself, to ensure a relaxing and comfortable year without stress. With easy classes, came an easy life, most of my year ended up being me relaxing at home and mostly working on other responsibilities outside of school. Of course, I have times where I had a lot to do for school and homework stacked upon me, but they never felt too much of a challenge compared to what I had the previous years.

The facts do stay true that taking honors and AP courses benefit for your educational skills and help with your college applications/courses; and personally I do encourage this. However, I believe that honors/AP aren’t necessary to your future, and there’s nothing wrong with an easier route. Take courses to improve your academic understanding instead of your social life. Because in the end, you’ll still have end up in the same route where you’ll pursue in a famous university or any kind of university you want to set yourself into.

 

thelegendonline Opinions, Uncategorized

What it’s like being 4’11 at Piedmont Hills

by Drew Olaviano

 

Hello! My name is Drew, and I stand at 4’11. Of course, being 4’11 often garners some unwanted attention, especially from those taller people. My height becomes even more distinctive now that I’m a senior. So, being at Piedmont Hills, a campus filled to the brim with my average heighted peers and taller peers, what’s it like? Well, let’s see.

Being inside of the school building with over thousands of students and staff bustling about each passing period, it’s obvious the shorter people suffer the most. I can attest to this, being a victim of constant shoving and pushing and backpacks slamming straight into my face. People bustle about and move constantly from place to place. Some stop to gossip and chat about life and whatnot, and then some turn—and as a result, run into me, who is unnoticeable to the naked eye is caught in the crossfire. They do not see the little me, and I get nudged as a result.

That’s not the only problem though. Other than how unnoticeable I am, people tend to have this need to tease their shorter peers. Anyone who is shorter than the average person can easily relate to these few phrases: “Hello, what’s up, midget,” “You look like a middle schooler” and “Where are you? I can’t find you!” I try to ignore them, but usually they end up being elbowed straight into the hip. I do not condone this though, I assure you. I’m just too short to not hit someone while walking, I’m sure.

The worst thing about being short, in my opinion, is that they still think I am in middle school, or even elementary school for that matter. Some people excuse it by saying that it is because I have a baby face or something similar, but I always believe that isn’t true—short people are usually attributed to younger people, especially kids. I was fine with it when I was a freshman. Freshmen came out from middle school and have to get around high school life. As a senior? I’m still being labeled as a middle schooler, and I have a hundred percent confidence that people will mistake me as a middle schooler when I’m in college in a few months. Is it the baby face? Possibly. Is it the short height? Oh, most definitely!

However, I know that being short shouldn’t matter that much to me. There are plenty of advantages to being short, after all! For one, being short in PHHS, and in general, means I can easily slip through crowds in the hallway. While all those tall people suffer trying to get through people, I can easily pass by them and get to my class. I won’t be blocked by all those bodies!

I can also bother people easily with the excuse that I can’t reach for a certain book or object. Being short does give you a legitimate excuse that you cannot grab something and you need to ask for help. While every other person cannot ask people to grab objects and do chores for them, I can, and that makes me satisfied for my height by its lonesome.

Well, as mentioned before, height should not matter; not to me, and not to you either. There are obvious disadvantages to being short, and there are disadvantages to being tall as well. To me, height shouldn’t matter to people much in comparison to people’s behaviors and how they treat one another. Every person is still an individual, and that’s all that should matter—how you treat one another, and how you behave.

 

thelegendonline Sports, Uncategorized

Varsity Softball home runs into CCS, JV finishes league strong

By Harleen Kaur

 

Varsity and JV Softball finished off the regular season strong; Varsity with a record of 9-3 and the JV team ended with a final record of 7-0.

Varsity faced a challenge when they played against Prospect and lost with a score of 8-6.

“We hit really well in the first inning and we started out really strong but we hit a road bump,” said Varsity Outfielder and Catcher Kylee Nielsen.

Meanwhile, the JV team’s last game was against Gunderson and the game ended with a victory for the Pirates with a score of 10-0.

Varsity made a comeback after a losing streak with a win against Willow Glen with a score of 10-2.

“This was a really important win because (Willow Glen’s) coach happened to be our old coach,” explained Varsity Pitcher Kailani Medina.

Both teams practice two times a week in preparation for two games a week.

“We practice hitting and situations that would happen in games to prepare us for when they actually happen during games,” said JV Catcher and Right Fielder Emalina Martinez.

Varsity has been practicing very hard in order to make it into CCS (Central Coast Section) playoffs.

“I’ve been working hard to fix my mistakes because I make them a lot but I’m learning how to get over them and grow to become a better player,” said Varsity Right Field and Pitcher Miranda Torres.

After the outcomes of Varsity’s last few games, Varsity made it to CCS playoffs.

“I’m very proud of us making it to CCS and hope we do well even though we have to go to Palo Alto,” stated Nielson.

Many players enjoyed playing at various games but some games stood out more than others.

“The game against Westmont has to be my most memorable of this season since it was in the rain and it was a challenge,” shared Martinez.

The Varsity team shared their aspirations and goals for next year’s season.

“I would want to make sure more often that everybody knows that they are a part of the team and that everyone plays a part,” explained Nielson.

The softball girls also expressed a grievance.

“On a less serious note, I would like it if we wore less white pants at games because they are so hard to wash,” said Nielson.

Many girls hope to train harder to improve for next year’s season.

“We compare ourselves to other girls but in a sense where we tend to look up to each other and want to be like each other,” stated Martinez.

thelegendonline Fun Page, Uncategorized

Where do you see yourself in 10 years

SP.07.Where.do.you.see.yourself.in.10.years

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

By Divya Verma

 

  • Baron Lee
    • “I wish that I would be a music teacher in 10 years”
  • Eric Chau
    • “If all works out, I’d be a Captain in the United States Army. Hopefully, I’d be serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment with some of the finest soldiers in the country.”
  • Shawn Hong
    • “I’d say I see myself in my career (physical therapy) and hope getting to a place where I can live comfortably and maybe a wife and kids” (photo taken)
  • Jessica De La Cruz
    • “I see myself having a stable job and having my own house”
  • Stacey Thai
    • Ten years from now, when I’m 28, I see myself living somewhere out of the Bay Area such as Oregon. My home would be cozy and be full of my life. I’d like to live with a few dogs, a snake, or maybe a few chickens. By then, I’d like to have earned my bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. If I don’t get too tired of school, I’ll get my Master’s Degree for Physical Therapy. I would like to coach sports teams or do PT to support myself when I’m an independent adult.
  • Raymond Phoung
    • Working at AT&T full time with a very nice sports car with tons of anime stickers over it. I also see myself being in a car enthusiast group. I will also be drinking nonstop milk tea. Boba for life.
thelegendonline Features, Uncategorized

How to stay cool

By Justin Wang

The first technique is to be grateful.

Smiles go for miles; realize that it definitely gets hotter than the San Jose heat and you most likely have access to the wealth and the materials needed to cool yourself. Welcome to the club, you just got to try a little bit harder and play the game, smarter.

Technique number two is to find cold water.

To cool down you’ll need to find something colder than you.

The good news is that most showers can trickle onto you a barrage of cold water, ready to transfer heat away from you and into the drain.

Alternatively, fill up a bath with cold water.

Being naked for this technique is recommended, but if you want to take some of the water with you when you get out, you can let your clothes absorb the water for an extended time of coolness.

For a more social alternative, a trip to the local pool or beach can allow for enjoyment of the sun and the water.

Cool down with your friends or just enjoy the outside and connect with marine life.

Also try drinking cold water and hydrate yourself.

The hydration can help your body to produce sweat.

Sweating is a hassle free method to get water on your body if you let it evaporate.

Technique number three is to replace the air around you with cooler air.

If the air around you is hot, try circulating it with a fan or alternatively a mist fan.

If you opt for a mist fan or to get water on you by using things like a spray bottle or just wet clothes, the water and air will work in tandem to cool you down.

If you have air conditioning, turn it on, but even if you don’t there’s still hope.

The last technique is to go somewhere else.

Take a trip to the local library, museum or refrigerator section of your local grocery store, there’s likely to be an air conditioning system there.

While slogging through the summer heat, you may begin to wish for a world without summer. If you truly desire it, the last technique is to take a trip to a suitable country in the Southern Hemisphere. For example, from June through Aug. it’s winter in Australia.

So if you time your trips just right you can avoid the summer season for the rest of your life.

thelegendonline Uncategorized

Summer full of style

Schools out and so is the sun. This summer, get ahead of the trends and explore your style.

Some current trends this summer are neon colors (green, yellow, pink), animal print, bohemian style, big brim hats, sunglasses, open back or strapless tops or dresses. A rule of thumb is if at least ten people don’t absolutely hate your outfit, it’s not worth wearing because you’re not taking enough risk.

You can even put yourself out there and start your own trend for the upcoming summer. You can always add an oversized denim jacket to any outfit. Denim jackets are lightweight so you won’t overheat, but it also goes with anything. Pair it with denim jeans and add a pop of color with a solid color tank top or t-shirt. Denim jackets also go great with dresses and shorts.

You can also keep it simple with a t-shirt and jeans, but to make your outfit stand out rip a couple holes in your t-shirt. You can either rip the holes in the back of the shirt to give you an open back or in the front of the shirt to give you a more relaxed and edgy vibe. Your ripped t-shirt would also go great with overall shorts. They are cute and perfect for the summer. Then, if you’re a hat lover, you should think about getting a baker boy hat. You can practically wear them with anything like a summer blouse and jeans or a t-shirt and shorts.

Summer is a time when you are essentially trying to wear things that will not make you want to take off your entire outfit because it is so uncomfortable having to sit in your own pile of sweat. Some things that can help you be comfortable in the summer is wearing loose clothing. The loose and textured fabrics is guaranteed to keep you cool in the summer. With loose clothes flowing around your body compared to clothes sticking to you, it will promote more air circulation. This statement is also true for textured fabrics such as linen and seersucker. These fabrics only touch parts of the epidermis, allowing for air channels to open up.

Another method to stay cool is by wearing light colors. It’s no question why people do not wear black to stay cool in the summer: the color absorbs more heat. By wearing lighter colors, light is reflected rather than absorbed, keeping you cool.

There are so many places with amazing sales going on where you get new clothes for the summer. H&M has a 15% discount off your entire purchase plus free shipping, Forever 21’s entire store is 30% off and Tillys and Zumiez are having a deal where if your purchase is over $49, shipping is free.

thelegendonline Centerspread, Cultural Corner, Uncategorized

Local Summer Shenanigans

By Devonna Dang

 

If you’re looking for a summer adventure but don’t have much money, you’re in luck! Here in the Bay Area, there is so much to explore.

First, let’s discuss how to get from location to location. Our very first option is public transportation if you currently do not have your own car. Luckily, again, the Bay Area has an amazing public transportation system. If you’re looking to go anywhere from Fremont, Downtown San Jose, Palo Alto or San Francisco, you’re covered. Some local transportation systems are the VTA buses, the VTA light rail, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and Caltrain.

Public transportation is very affordable. For the youth, a VTA bus fare is a discounted $1.25 and Caltrain and BART also offer a discounted fare.

Currently, the closest working BART is in South Fremont. However, a Milpitas BART is having an opening in November 2019.

A place that is calling for adventure and is only a $10.50 Caltrain fare ride away is San Francisco. Golden Gate Park is a great place to visit in San Francisco.

Golden Gate Park is a large urban park consisting of 1,017 acres of public grounds. Some establishments that should be visited is the Japanese Tea Garden, the DeYoung museum, Conservatory of Flowers and Cal Academy of Sciences. There is much to explore and to appreciate when you are there.

The Bay Area is also a great place to go hiking. Some hiking places include Mission Peak (10.4 miles from school), Sunol Regional Wilderness (24.1 miles from school) and Alamere Falls (88.7 miles from school). Mission Peak is a six mile hike that has a poll at the top to signify your hike’s success. Sunol Regional Wilderness is a great place to hike if you are on the pursuit of finding a waterfall. Despite the distance, Alamere Falls’ scenery and experience you get is quite worth it.

Another great way to spend summer is exploring museums. Some museums to visit include the Bay Area Discovery Museum, Exploratorium, San Francisco Museum of Art, Asian Art Museum, The Walt Disney Family Museum, Cable Car Museum and the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

There’s no better time to do something you never do than in the summer. Go zip lining in the redwoods, complete a 5k or do some rock climbing. All in all, the Bay Area has adventure everywhere. If you’re free in the summer, get on a transit and explore what is out there for you.

thelegendonline Uncategorized

Cross Country is one hill of a sport

 

By Terry Tang

 

Senior Samantha Tran and sophomore Tyanne Tran are sisters who ran in BVAL (Blossom Valley Athletic League) and are qualified for CCS (Central Coast Section) Cross Country Championship.

S.Tran had been doing cross country since middle school while her sister also joined in middle school to compete with her sister.

“I choose to join cross country because when I was in middle school, I watched my sister run XC and I wanted to be as fast as her and I also wanted t push myself to see what I’m capable of accomplishing!” said T.Tran

“I think this year was a rough season for the team because we didn’t have summer conditioning. It was pretty tough getting back in shape for most of us and adjusting to different workouts with new coaches and all,” said S. Tran

Cross country usually have conditioning in the summer, but this year started on the second day of school. This is the first year that they have not made CCS. Despite not making CCS the team has still managed to maintain their spot in the A-League. The team usually run two miles everyday to build up their strength and stamina to prepare themselves for the cross country meets.

“I think our team put our hearts out into the courses and we really did the best we can given the circumstances of not having summer conditioning,” said T. Tran.

“I was surprised that my sister and I made (it into) CCS because competition was really though this season,” said S. Tran.

Cross country meets are usually held at Montgomery Hill. T. Tran’s time was 20:48 with her older sister S. Tran following close behind with a 21:01.

Some of the schools that competed in BVAL included Westmont and Independence. Piedmont Hills is one of the top teams as they are in the A-League.

“We run different distances everyday because we usually want to work on different areas to improve our running. An example of this can be like a long run can help improve our endurance while a short run will help improve our speed.” stated varsity cross country runner Alex Sen

This year’s CCS has been delayed two times due to the poor air quality and has been set to Sat. Nov. 17.

Coach Tan Nguyen and Coach Elisa Bryant have experience in running with not only just cross country, but also with track and field, weight training and dieting. They have degrees like kinesiology to help their players and also work out isolation practices in case a player gets injured. Assistant Coach Brandon Nguyen himself is working towards a Kinesiology degree which can help him in future careers like a personal trainer or full time coach.

“The coaches really believe in our abilities and they motivate all of us to push ourselves through our mental barriers. They help build strong team bonds to make use feel more confident as a team. I appreciate them for everything,” said S. Tran.